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Event: Blood Harvest Part 7
Aside from some slight finishing touches, I think I can say this is done, now. As demanded, Graydon and Danara meet once again, deepening the weird relationship that has come to be between them. Maybe there's a slight glimpse into the future with this one too. Blood Harvest Part 7 The Corellian freighter, the Banshee, casually made it’s way deeper into the Abregado system from the standard jump point on the outer edges of the star system. The ship was bound for Abregado-rae, the third planet of the system and known as one of the seedier of the Core systems. Even though the planet fell under the jurisdiction of the Empire, it was still considered a shadowport to most smugglers and lawless types. This was to be considered a standard smuggling drop for Wyatt Morgan and the crew that had come with him. Just a day before, Wyatt had rendezvoused with Graydon outside the Jaso Sector and transferred Graydon over to the ship. Graydon had sent his ship back to Eidolon Station via it’s built-in Astromech, joining with Wyatt after his solo mission to the Relkan Sector. With Nessa and Selene already on board, their next stop was to deliver some needed supplies to a rebel element currently hiding on Abregado. Wyatt quietly worked the controls of his ship as Graydon scanned over the sensor data. This close to the center of Imperial activity, especially Coruscant, meant that they weren’t going to take any chances. If this looked like it was going to go bad, they weren’t sticking around. He began to frown, leaning forward to look closely at the data coming across the screen. The familiar shape of a Star Destroyer just came into view from behind the planet’s moon. Graydon was just about to call off the drop when he smiled and sat back in his seat. Wyatt took notice. “So what’s up, Blade?” Wyatt asked, casting Graydon a sideways glance. “An Imperial Star Destroyer is in orbit around the moon.” “Okay. I guess this is a bust.” Wyatt began to reach up for the control yoke to turn the freighter around. Graydon gently took hold of his forearm to stop him. “It’s okay, Wyatt. We can continue on.” Graydon said, starting to have a distant look in his eyes, as if he were daydreaming. “No. You said it yourself,” Wyatt responded. “If there was any Imperial presence here, we were calling this off.” “The Star Destroyer is the Huntress.” Graydon answered. “That’s Danara’s ship. I know why she’s here.” “You do?” “I do and we have some business to discuss. You and Nessa make the delivery once we land. I’ll deal with Danara.” “Damn. I was afraid you were going to say that.” Wyatt frowned and shook his head. There was a brief moment that made Graydon recall Marcus in Wyatt's gesture. “You crazy gundark. You’ll get yourself killed.” “No. Danara has had ample opportunity to do that in the past and she hasn’t. I’m sure it’s safe. She wants something that used to be here. I know where it is now.” Graydon responded. Graydon was betting that Danara had ordered the Huntress to orbit the moon, staying away from her personal mission and well out of the way. He hoped that it meant that the crew was effectively given some time off. If Danara was here, searching, that meant she wouldn’t want to be distracted by trivial matters that mattered to the Empire. Four hours later, after landing, Graydon and Selene quietly walked through the forest that bordered the former estate of Arthur Bishop. The pair had fallen silent a few minutes before, allowing Graydon to reflect on thoughts that related to their current situation. Not long ago, Graydon had been brutalized while he had been the captive of the Imperial, Maxus Weyre. The forces that had come to follow him had shown just what type of group they were, coming to rescue him. The Shadow Wolves, Nova Wolves, the Blackstone Pirates, and the newly formed Regulator Squadron had come from all over the Outer Rim to join in rebellion against the Empire under his banner. Now, feeling more himself than he had in a long time, Graydon prepared for this meeting that was about to occur. As Selene walked behind Graydon, she had to note that there was a new air of confidence to him. But at the same time, she noted that his appearance gave the illusion of a dark menace. With Graydon’s cloak on and the hood with the deep cowl raised, he did look rather imposing. But then, she was dressed in her dark leathers, giving a perception of menace too. She smiled, feeling more secure, even if she still had a high level of anxiety about what was going to occur soon. Graydon stepped into the overgrown clearing that was once the outside perimeter of Bishops’s estate, followed closely by Selene. Graydon opened himself up to the Force, readying himself. There sat the shuttle that had ferried Danara down to the surface. Next to it stood a white-armored Stormtrooper. The Stormtrooper took notice of the newcomers right away. “You there! Halt!” The stormtrooper called through his voice-enhancing vocodor. Just as the trooper began to raise his blaster rifle up, Graydon summoned the Force and telekinetically pulled the weapon from the troopers hands. The trooper was in obvious shock at this, remaining standing in his stance, looking down at his empty hands, although very briefly. Another trooper appeared from around the base of the shuttle’s ramp, weapon already up and at the ready. His original hand occupied by the first weapon, Graydon raised his other hand and sent a wall of Force energy out in front of him, towards both Stormtroopers, knocking them off their feet and to the ground. The second blaster sprang free of the other trooper’s grip as he hit the ground. Graydon then handed the first blaster rifle to Selene. “Thanks. I’ll add this to our collection.” She responded sarcastically. Selene was of course, making reference to the large stockpile of Storm-I blasters the group had recently collected. “Watch our backs.” Graydon said in response. Continuing forward, Graydon didn’t seem to be rushing or concerned with any other danger. At the base of the shuttle’s ramp, Graydon stopped. He used telekinesis to recover the second weapon and clipped it to his belt. The Stormtroopers near him were starting to recover and began to regain their footing. But without weapons, they seemed unwilling to confront the pair that had suddenly appeared from the forest. The mysticism of the Force, coupled with the appearance of these newcomers probably made them fearful that another Inquisitor or servant of the Empire had just arrived. They began to retreat towards what were definitely the ruins of one of the buildings that had been part of Arthur’s estate. Graydon watched and patiently waited while Selene watched behind them and kept a close eye on the shuttle’s ramp. He didn’t have to wait long to see what he was waiting for. From the same direction that the troopers had fled, a figure suddenly appeared, stalking through the rubble and vegetation of the estate buildings. Graydon didn’t need the Force to tell him that Danara was approaching and she was currently furious for being interrupted. She crested the slight rise and stopped, obviously focusing on the two intruders. Graydon stood and waited patiently. As she noted the pair, Graydon could see the change in her walk as she began to descend towards her shuttle. He felt the brush of the Force over him, allowing Danara to identify him. After that, he pushed his cowl back, revealing his face and head, assuming a tranquil stance. “Are you still sure about this, Blade?” Selene asked from behind him. “We’ll be fine.” Graydon answered. “I’m glad you’re so confident.” Her nerves were nearly getting the best of her. Danara had changed her gait from an angry, stalking, predator to an almost seductive swagger of a call girl as she approached. Her head was held high and smirk of confidence crossing her lips. Graydon was impressed to see that she hadn't let her physical form change since the birth of their child. She still looked just like he remembered. And with that thought came a pang of guilt, knowing that Rena was waiting for him back on Eidolon Station. “Lord Strykia,” Danara said when she was close enough to be heard clearly. “I thought you were home tending to business while I was out pursuing my duties.” “I am tending to business, Lady Danara.” “But your place is on Antrixies.” Danara gave him a knowing smile. “Cut the bantha crap, Danara.” Graydon responded. “You know I'm not the clone.” “You've finally came to your senses and now you wish to complete our union?” The sarcasm was thick in her voice. “You know that I'm not going to do that.” Graydon responded. Remaining calm, he attempted to turn the tables on her. “What are you doing here?” “My job.” The sarcasm was done and Danara made her statement with much more seriousness. “I doubt that. Our mutual friend tells me that your job is to baby-sit that unstable meat-slab the Imperials are trying to pass off as me.” Graydon continued on. “So, why are you here?” “I know you have ties to Bishop. I also know that he was searching for the same things I tried to get you to find for me.” Danara responded. “The stones?” “Yes.” “It’s not here. They're not here.” Graydon said flatly. “If there was one here, it’s not anymore. Search all you want, but you won't find it on this planet.” “So he did have one in his possession. Interesting.” “He had one in his possession, yes.” Graydon took on a very casual stance, relaxing himself. “Interesting.” Danara responded. “So now it’s my turn. Why are you here?” “To see you.” Graydon answered. Danara stood there for a moment, simply observing him. While she debated on the answer he had given her, looking him over, the other members of her party began to show themselves over the slight rise. A young female Antrixian and an Imperial officer, flanked by two Stormtroopers made their way to where Danara stood. Graydon observed the two newcomers; his curiosity peaked by the presence of the Antrixian woman. This had to be the Antrixian that Bishop had said was with Danara when she encountered Marissa Strykia on Trudaa. He noted that she immediately cast her eyes downward and lowered her head when she recognized his face. Perhaps she knew just who he was or perhaps she was cowed into submission, thinking he was the puppet clone from Antrixies. Either way, he felt some heat in his emotions from her response. “My lady…” The officer began. “This can't be who I think it is? Is it?” “This meeting is insignificant, Lieutenant. Lord Strykia has followed me here to discuss some things that are well above your station.” Danara answered. “Board the shuttle, recall the Stormtroopers and wait. I'll deal with this.” Graydon waited patiently and silently as the Lieutenant followed through with Danara’s orders. Once the handful of Stormtroopers had boarded the shuttle, along with the Imperial officer, Graydon began to smile. “You seem very sure of yourself walking into the the Rancor's den. Why all of the sudden are you so bold, yet calm?” Danara asked, obviously more relaxed now that she didn't have other Imperials around, watching her. “Are you happy to see me?” “I’m not sure it would be called happy.” Graydon answered. “I'm here because we need to have a conversation and I prefer it to be face-to-face.” “Is this about our parenting skills?” Graydon frowned in response, choosing not to answer that. It was inevitable that the subject of Anna and Davin would come up. “Is it about your captivity and rescue from Maxus Weyre?” Danara assumed a proud stance. “I hear that Anna acquitted herself admirably during your escape.” “We can discuss Anna and Davin after our initial business.” Graydon finally said. “So why are you here?” There was a hint of annoyance and frustration creeping into her voice. “I'm here because I think we have a common enemy.” Graydon said, knowing that the threat of her anger could be quite real. “Oh?” Danara was somewhat surprised. “You know of the rogue Antrixian known as Reaper?” “Your estranged brother?” “''Reaper''.” Graydon flatly answered. “He’s searching for the stones also.” “I know.” Danara said. “I faced him on Lotho Minor while tracking the Vyborg bounty hunter that had one of the stones. Your brother was less than pleased to find me there. It was probably more than being less than pleased that I bested him and retained the stone.” “I’m sure that you wounded his personal pride more than you know.” “Good.” Danara chuckled. Graydon looked around quickly, then stepped one step nearer to Danara. “Danara… Becca-” “Don’t call me that!” Danara took a quick step back. Selene tensed from behind Graydon, preparing to act if needed. “Fine.” Graydon quickly, but quietly said. “I know why you want the stones.” “No you don’t.” There was a different edge in her voice. Danara didn’t assume an aggressive posture, but it didn’t mean that she couldn't act. Selene watched, noting the change in Danara’s tone and stance. Was Graydon on to a weakness in the Inquisitor? “You despise the Empire and the tasks they’ve had you do.” Graydon said. He was going on total assumptions at this point, even though they had certain logics behind them. “If you were serving the Emperor in your search for the stones, the one you recovered would be hidden away on Coruscant by now.” Graydon continued. “How do you know that it isn’t?” Danara tried to put on a strong air. “I know.” Graydon curtly replied. “My bet is that by recovering the stones, you hope to somehow save yourself and Anna from the tyranny of your ‘New Order.’ Your daughter… our daughter, is your chief and foremost concern.” “Our daughter?” Danara was obviously surprised by Graydon’s statement. Selene noted it and smiled to herself, even though she wasn’t sure where Graydon was leading Danara with this conversation. She knew that Anna considered Blade her father now. Graydon frowned, raised a hand a bit and shook his head. “We’ll get to that.” He replied. “I’m right, aren’t I?” Danara squinted one eye. “Supposing that you are right, then what? Are you going to call the Emperor or Lord Vader and tell them? Are you going to say that Danara is using the resources at her disposal to betray the Empire? To save her little girl?” “No.” Graydon answered immediately. “Your secret is safe with me.” “Then why does it matter?” “Because I want Anna to be safe too.” Graydon replied. “I want to make sure that Davin is safe also. That’s why I’m proposing a truce of sorts.” “A truce?” “Yes.” Graydon answered. “I might not agree with the things you’ve done, but I see the base logic behind it all.” “So you’re proposing that we work together to find the stones.” Danara chuckled a bit. “Do you need my resources? Is your little band of freedom fighters in need of what the New Order can provide?” “No.” “My Star Destroyer-” Danara began. “This isn’t about possessions and power.” Graydon interrupted. “If you want a show of force, let’s set up a time and place. Then we’ll see just how well that wedge of supremacy holds up.” “I believe Nessa would say that there are one-hundred seventy-four thousand flaws waiting to be exploited.” Selene added with a snicker. “So your little hand maiden talks?” Danara scowled. “I’ll kill her where she stands.” “Selene, please.” “Then why, Graydon?” Danara fixed her eyes on his. “Because we have a common purpose and common enemies.” Graydon said, returning Danara’s gaze. “If you were any other Imperial, I wouldn’t be here. I know that the Jedi that was on Byss didn’t die in that arena. I know that the Jedi that fled Trudaa and Barab I only wanted to be free to raise her family in quiet safety. Your personal logs in your old R2 unit also said that you only wanted to feel the love and belonging of family long ago. If Reaper gets those stones, none of that can happen. He’s enlisted Zorg from the Rotulus Sector to help him and that means he’s closer than we are, even combined.” Danara cast her eyes down, unwilling to hold Graydon’s gaze any longer. She didn’t feel anger so much as she felt the sting of the past. Every word had brought up old memories. Her longing for the past and for a potential future had always been a point that Master Zem had chastised her for. There wasn’t malice in his words, but Graydon had skillfully used his words as a weapon towards her. It made her doubt her course of action over the last few years. But in some strange way, it also gave her hope. “I-” Danara began. “I don’t know, Graydon.” “With or without you, we’ll find those stones and keep them out of the wrong hands. The safety of the galaxy depends on it.” This man was so different from the clone on Antrixies. The clone was cruel and twisted. The real Graydon was a man of service and dedicated to his friends and family. He had grown so much since their first encounter on Manchi. Even after their last face-to-face meeting on Zamora, Graydon had shown a different revelation of himself. She had to compare him to some of the Jedi she had known in the past. There were hints of her former masters there, but underlying that was a man she could respect for his dedication and conviction. The fact that he had always tried to draw her back towards her former self and had always spoken to her as an equal could mean that he held onto a hope for her future. Perhaps a future for both of them. “I can’t answer right now.” Danara finally said. “Okay then.” “What of the other subject?” Danara asked, still looking down. “The children?” Graydon asked back. Danara simply nodded. “Anna is fine.” Graydon said. He calmed his tone and continued. “When I said our daughter, it’s because I’ve adopted her as my own. Without you or Zachary, she needs a family. Anna is growing to be an impressive young lady.” “I have no doubt in that.” Danara proudly said, but kept her eyes cast down. “I’m glad she has you near her.” “She’s happy right now.” “Good.” Danara said, and then changed to a question. “Is she your apprentice then?” “No, not officially.” “Make her your Padawan, please.” Danara finally looked up, meeting Graydon’s eyes. Graydon saw a different light there, in Danara. There was a caring mother still inside the shell of the Inquisitor. It gave him hope that she might still have a future free from the Dark side and the Empire. Her statement resonated with him. The holocron version of Master Verkaik had said that a Jedi didn't truly begin to learn until they had an apprentice. Once that occurred, that was when a Jedi began to learn of life and the Force. He made a mental note to look into Danara's request further. “She can use your influence and life experiences. You’re perfect for her.” “What about Davin?” Graydon asked. Luckily for Selene, Graydon didn’t see her tense, knowing that Davin was further out of harm’s way than ever before. Selene was counting on Davin being safely in Rena's arm right about now. “I’ll make sure that no Imperial hand tries to use him against you.” Danara said. “He has your eyes. He also has your gift in the Force. I compared him to the archives on Antrixies. He’s definitely your son.” “Just please keep him safe.” “I will.” Silence fell between the trio. “We need to go.” Graydon finally said, breaking the silence. “Don’t try and stop us.” “I’ll see you back on Antrixies, eventually, my Lord.” Danara said with a hint of sarcasm. As Selene led the way back into the woods, Graydon had to wonder if Danara was being truly sarcastic or if she was simply referring to his clone again. *** Joey Bindel sat at a table in the smoky bar, the Gilded Starliner, with his feet up and his chair kicked back. Life looked good for Joey right then and there. His biggest client ever, along with currently his only client, Ala Mystique, had just put on a spectacular show in this semi-reputable place on Aerelon. It had been a while, but after years of selling used speeders, Joey was glad to be back in the industry again. A few years before, Joey had been living well, managing Ala. Things had been good. Then, one little foul up with a booking schedule and he was fired and broke. The confounded venue he had originally booked accepted another performance in place of Ala and her upcoming concert. This meant a huge loss in ticket sales which Joey had been forced to reimburse himself. He was still sure that there was a large bribe from the Larza Syndicate involved in the mishap. That had been years ago, though. Now, he felt like he was back on top of the world. He watched his friend and bodyguard, Farrouk, talking with Ala as she sat on the edge of the stage, greeting some of her lingering fans. The curvaceous Wroonian was practically glowing as she basked in the after-effects of her show. If Joey was feeling good, then so was she. Joey happened to glance towards the bar just then. It was almost as if a second sense had possessed him and he knew something was approaching. He couldn’t tell if it was good or bad, though. Four individuals were at the bar, looking his way as the bartender droid pointed towards his table. Suddenly, Joey wished he had his small hold-out blaster with him. Now they were headed his way. There were two females in the group and they had a look to them that said they could handle themselves. They were both attractive human-looking women, but they had an air about them. The blonde was dressed in black attire that showed entirely too much skin while the other one with purplish-red hair had a look in her eye that said she could mix it up in a fight. With the ladies, there was a rather well-built Zeltron male and a humanoid that had is face obscured by some type of mask that made him look like a human-form droid. Joey thought about hurrying towards Ala and Farrouk, but he knew that would be putting Ala in danger. He could flag his large friend down, but that might make things worse too. No. He had to hold his ground and hope that this all went well, whatever was about to happen. “You Bindel?” The redhead said as she stopped just a meter away from Joey’s chair. “Well that would depend on who’s inquiring.” Joey answered, trying appear as relaxed as he could. “My name is Nadja.” The redhead said. “This is Nita, the guy we call Vyruss, and the masked mystery known as JJ.” She motioned to her companions. “Well, Nadja, how can I help you?” Joey asked. He felt more at ease. The Larza Syndicate wouldn’t send out thugs that introduced themselves first, without threatening and making their intentions known prior to formalities. “An Antrixian by the name of Gil Thorne said we could find you here.” Nadja said as Nita nodded in agreement. “We’re looking for a record contract and Decka Recordings said you’d be the man to go to. He said something about a hidden talent you had named Morgan that needed a band to back her.” Morgan. That name did stir his memory a bit. He was puzzled though. Decka was his parent company and he didn’t usually get people sent his way without an audition first. “This is a bit of an unorthodox approach for a band. I mean, usually I scout the talent. The talent doesn’t scout me.” Joey said, relaxing and falling into his business demeanor. “All I know is that Thorne said the daughter of Cassi LaRue would be a perfect frontwoman for us and he said you could make it happen.” Nadja responded. The daughter of Cassi LaRue? That would be CJ Morgan. Joey’s memory was jogged now. CJ had made an impression on him back on Palmaera when she heisted a sculpture from the club LaRue, claiming to represent her mother. He had watched from a distance and had been impressed. He had heard through sources that the girl could sing too. Suddenly, credits were falling before Joey’s eyes. Category:Events